§ Mr. GrayTo ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many horses there were in the UK in each year since 2000. [156563]
§ Alun MichaelThis information has not been collected centrally in the past but I have been working closely with the industry to achieve a national equine database which will then be able to provide such information. This opportunity arises from the implementation of the Horse Passport legislation. Currently the best estimate is provided by the British Equestrian Trade Association's National Equestrian Survey published in 1999, which estimated that there were some 900,000 privately owned horses or ponies in Great Britain.
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